


The Gold Motel: Unholy

by mrgoldsdearie



Series: The Gold Motel [8]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Horror, Murder, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2015-06-28
Packaged: 2018-04-06 14:18:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4224954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrgoldsdearie/pseuds/mrgoldsdearie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rumbelle AU inspired by the movie Psycho - Robert and Norman Gold have their talk on the way home from Granny’s Diner. Robert watches over the family while Norman is gone and the Gold’s have an ungodly experience at the motel. Belle starts to see Robert in a different light.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Gold Motel: Unholy

**Author's Note:**

> I’M SO HAPPY WITH THIS CHAPTER! :) This chapter is the start to a lot of things getting revealed and answered. Things may start to look shittier and shittier, but I promise there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I have changed the title to the first chapter to Psycho. I don’t know why the hell it took me so long to do that. And I do plan to rewrite the 2nd and 3rd parts sometime soon. They need to be cleaned up like I did to the original chapter. Alright, I think that’s it. Please enjoy and happy reading. One more thing, this chapter is rather long.

~One hour after the diner~ ****

Norman Gold speed-walks through the back streets of Storybrooke, more upset than he's felt in a truly long time, feeling alone and betrayed by his wife yet again. He kicks the rocks on the side of the road, having no idea where he's headed, but going home isn't an option for him right now. Norman thinks about the situation that unfolded at the diner. The way Belle set him up was the lowest thing she has ever done and the way he reacted to her actions is weighing heavy on his heart. The guilt of telling her that she wasn't being a good wife is starting to hollow in the pit of his stomach and he wishes that he could take it all back. Speaking to her that way isn't like him at all. Norman stops waking, looks up to the stars in the clear night sky, then collapse to his knees, burying his face into his hands and sobs.

"It's alright, Laddie," Robert Gold speaks through the sea of Norman's tears. He has always had a soft spot for seeing Norman this way, especially when he's not the one who made him cry. "What she did to you was completely fucked up." He lifts his head from his hands. "You asked her not to call the doctor and she should of listened." Robert tries to help his son the best way he knows how.

Norman doesn't reply. He drops his head back into his hands and continues crying.

Robert sits up straight, curling his upper lip, thinking about the way Dr. Hopper spoke. "I've always hated that fucking doctor, pompous prick," he snarls. "You need to pick yourself up, son, and stop fucking crying. It's not helping you."

"Leave me alone, Papa." Norman slouches down to his knees and more tears fall from his eyes. He's a man that feels defeated.  

"I don't get you, Norman. You keep telling me that you want to be strong." Robert sits up and picks himself from the ground. "That you want to prove that you're not a weak little boy, but you run away from your wife and cry out in the middle of the streets. That's not strength at all."

"D-d-didn't I tell you to stop talking to me," Norman barks.

"I'm trying to help you. You fucking need it," Robert speak crudely. "Stop crying and go back to that diner," he orders. He thinks that dealing with these feelings head on is the best way for Norman. "Tell Belle what she did was wrong, prove to her that you're not as helpless as she thinks."

"She d-d-doesn't think I'm helpless," Norman whimpers and walks a few paces ahead.

Robert stops walking and gimps back to the place he stood before. "She went behind your back and did something you asked her not to do. Even worse, she lured you into it. You don't help people by tricking them."

"You h-h-have a lot of nerve saying that." Norman snaps. Robert is the last person to be speaking of what's morally correct. "All the people you've lied to and t-t-tricked, me included among them, Robert," he speaks harshly, calling Papa by his name for the very first time.

Robert's eyebrows raises and he takes in a quick breath. He didn't know that Norman was aware his name. "So you've heard my name."

Norman quickly turns likes he's arguing with someone standing behind him and he's about to face them."Yes, I know. It's just one m-m-more thing on your list of lies."

Robert points into thin air, as if he's digging his finger into Norman's chest. "You act like you never lied before,” he snarls through his teeth, as his faces reddens.

The fierce expression on Norman's face softens, as he drops his hand and his eyes burn with more tears that won't fall. "B-b-but you weren't supposed to." Norman sniffs, wiping away drying tears. "You w-w-weren't supposed to lie to me like Malcolm."

"I know that, son, but things have changed. It's not just you and me anymore and it never will. I understand that you're pissed, but a name isn't something to really be upset about."

"Yes it is." Norman starts to pace back and forth. "It's a s-s-sign that you'll be taking more and more t-t-time away from my life."

"I'm not trying to take away your life, Norman. I just wanted a little bit of my own," Robert confesses. He's never mentioned to Norman of wanting his own life.

"I don't b-b-believe you."  

"And why not?"

"P-p-please." He combs his hands through his hair and balls them into fists, tugging, as he gazes up to the moon lit sky. "Just l-l-leave he alone, Papa."

"No, I won't." Robert drops his hands and limps towards the direction of the diner. "I've told you what you needed to do, Laddie. Go do it."

"I can't." He turns back to the opposite direction.

"Why not, Norman?"

"Because she's not the only problem." Norman forces out his words, without a stutter.

Robert shifts his weight to the left leg and stand with his hands on his hips. "Huh," he breathes out, with a crooked grin on his face. "I know exactly where you're going with this. You don't even have to fucking say it."

"Yes I do!" Norman barks back. "You lied to me after you promised you never would. You fucking promised," he yells furiously at himself. "You've taken control over me countless times."

"Norman, just stop it." He just wants to defuse the situation before things get worse.

"You used me to sleep with Neal's mother. How many time have you used me to get with women? How many more children do we have out there? I'm fucking scared and you're a huge part of the problem." He falls back onto his knees and cries into his hands once again.

"We don't have anymore children, Laddie," Robert speaks softly. "I promise you that."

"I can't fucking believe you." Norman takes a fistful of gravel from the ground and tosses it out into the empty street.

"I'm not lying to you, I wouldn't lie about this. Milah was the only one and Neal is the only one."

"I d-d-don't know what to think." Norman's stutter returns. "Th-th-there's so many things going on in my mind that it f-f-feels like it's gonna fucking explode. It's chipping away at me, Papa." Norman lays on the ground, cradling his legs. This is the lowest point of his life. "I c-c-can't have sex with my wife. All I can th-th-think about when we try is the how she ran away from me, keeping the truth f-f-from me." He wipes his nose on the sleeve of his purple shirt. "I've been spying on her, Papa." Norman confesses his habit. "I can't touch her, s-s-so she has to finish herself alone and I watch her. It's so b-b-beautiful when I watch her." He closes his eyes, imagining the images of Belle in the bathroom, then he starts to hit himself on head. "I'm so fucking disgusting!" He covers his face and rolls onto his back.

"No you're not, son."

"Yes I am. And you're r-r-right about one thing, Papa, she d-d-does think I'm helpless."

Robert now regrets saying those words. Regret doesn't happen much for him, but when it does, it truly hits him hard. "I shouldn't have said that. She doesn't think you're helpless." Robert feels like he has only made the situation worse.

"Yes she d-d-does. She told me that I d-d-don't know how to handle my emotions."

"That's because you don't, Laddie. You run away, just like you did tonight."

"She th-th-thinks I'm weak and helpless, just like you do." Norman slams his fist on the ground. "I c-c-can't... I can't be around her right now." He quickly sits up like the dead rising from the grave. "I can't be around the baby. Not like this, not with my head so f-f-fogged up. I can't fucking think!"

"So what are you going to do? Running away has never helped you, Norman. Don't even think it's going to help now."

"M-m-maybe it can. I need to go somewhere where I can think. Where I can only hear m-m-my voice in my head." He picks himself up from the rocky ground. "I'm no good to my family like this," he mumbles.

"Where are you going, Laddie?" Robert asks with concern. "You can't leave them alone."

"I'm not g-g-going to leave them alone. You've always p-p-protected me, Papa, and if there's one thing I can trust you with, it's that." Norman's body trembles with fear and anger. He's going to play the only card he has left. "Please, please look after my family," he desperately pleads

"It's lonely where you're going, son. It's quiet and dark." Robert spent three years tucked away in the deep corners of the subconscious. Hearing nothing, feeling nothing and seeing nothing, just alone with his thoughts. "You've never taken to being alone very well. That's why you've always had me."

"I th-th-think it's time for me to be alone, to be somewhere where I can only hear m-m-my voice and I can think about what's best for me. So I can be a b-b-better husband and father."  

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, Papa," Norman whimpers. "Will you p-p-promise to take care of them while I'm gone?"

"Yes, son, they're my family too." Robert answers sincerely, feeling like he has failed his son. Norman is still running away, after Robert has done everything he could to get him to stay. "Believe it or not, I am going to miss you." If Robert could wrap his arms around Norman, he would embraces him tightly.

If there was anything in the world Norman couldn't live without, it would be not being with his family. The poor man's mind is swimming with anxiety and fear. Learning about his Papa's chosen name and wanting more time on his own, frightened Norman and created a giant knot in his gut. Then there was Belle... He needs to step away from her for now, he needs time to contemplate how to take control of his life, so he can be better for his family. "D-d-don't say goodbye, Papa." He speaks between breaths, "I just need to b-b-be alone for now and I'll be back soon."

##  ***~*~***

~Four days later~

Everyday that passes without her husband, Belle feels a small piece of her heart wither away. She thought he would come back by this time and everything between them would be fixed, but now she thinks that he isn't returning any time soon. This is the longest period she has ever been without Norman and she's starting to feel abandoned and alone. She has cried herself to sleep almost every night and taking care of Baelee has been harder for her. The double duty of taking care of the baby and keeping an eye on Robert is starting to take a toll on her, but she does her best to be a loving mother. If only Belle would allow Robert to do what Norman left him to do, she might not be having such a rough time.

The Storybrooke Miner's Day Festival has started two days ago and the motel is unusually packed with tourists, almost half of the cabins are full. Belle has designated Robert as the full time caretaker to keep his hands busy.

Robert does his job with the upkeep of the motel, keeping the rooms clean and the appearance of the building, but he's getting restless with the day to day things. Being the motel's caretaker during the town's only event is taking him away from what he thinks is more important, looking after Belle and spending time with Neal.

_*knock, knock, knock*_

Belle sits locked away in the Victorian manor, likes she's done every day since Norman left, and she helps the baby while she's learning how to walk. Belle hears the knocking on the door and sits the baby in her playpen, while she heads out to see who's waiting for her to answer.

"Belle?" Robert gazes at her with high brows and sad puppy eyes.

The look on his face sends shivers down her spine and makes her want to call out to Norman, but she knows that this man isn't her loving stuttering husband. Belle doesn't say a word to him, she just rolls her eyes and attempts to close the door in his face.

Robert stops her from closing the door by putting his foot in between it. "Not this time, Lass." He pushes the door open. "This was my house before it was yours, but I will respect you and wait to be invited in."

"Well then you'll be waiting. Goodbye." She tries to close the door on him again and he stops her once more.

"Look!" He lowers his brow. "I'll stay down in the motel, pretend to be nice to the customers and clean up their shit, but I'm not going to continue doing it in the same outfit for four fucking days!"

She crosses her arms and shifts her weight to the left, looking at him like she doesn't give a shit. "I think you look pretty clean."

"I've been washing it with the linens, but I'm sick of the sight of it. I rather wear Norman's black and white checkered shirt than to wear this thing again. And I think it's starting to shrink in that high volume dryer." Robert re-button the center button that's been popping out all day, exposing his hairless flesh.

"I think you look fine." She shrugs her shoulders. "Have a goodnight."

"Please, Belle." He desperately stops the door from closing. "I can't go out looking like this?"

"Go out!?" She uncrosses her arms.

"Yes. It's the last night of the festival and Neal invited me to go with him."

"You can't go out!"

"Why not?"

"People are going to think you're Norman."

"I don't care what people think, I'm not going to be talking to them. I'm spending time with my son."

Belle looks up and down his body with eyes like daggers. "I've never thought of you as the carnival type." She crosses her arms and leans against the threshold. 

Robert tries to straighten his shrunken shirt, but it's a wee too tight and it doesn't move where he wants it. "Well I'm not," he replies defensive. "That was always Norman's thing, but I did take him once."

She sighs heavily, massaging her temples with her fingertips, trying to fight off a headache brewing. "Please don't start with your 'I used to do this with Norman' crap, because it's bullshit. We both know Norman didn't have the childhood you made up in your mind."

"I'm not making shit up, Lass. We really did go."

"Please, just save it." She stands up straight.

"I don't need you to believe me. I know what I've done for him." Robert peeks into the house and can see the baby standing in the playpen. He's happy to see her smiling face and to know that she's okay.

Belle pulls the door into her so he can't see the baby.

"Anyways." He shakes the memories from his head. "I would like for you and Nugget to join us. You really should get out of the house, but I already know your answer to that."

"Yes you do!" She points down to the motel. "Now get off of my porch," she demands.

"I would like some clothes before I go."

"No!"

Robert breathes through his nose like an angry bull ready to gore. "Quit being so fucking stubborn," he yells, tired of her childish game. "This is horseshit! The least you can do is toss me a few outfits. I don't have to go inside at all."

Belle gives him a cold stare. If he's trying to scare her, it isn't working. "Go away!" She steps on his toe to make him move it from the doorway.

"Shit!" He stumbles back, catching his balance on his cane.

Belle swiftly shuts the door and locks it.

Robert beats on the door. "I'll be back later," he hollers, then hobbles down to the motel and meets up with Neal.

"I see you had no luck." Neal steps out of the office, eating a toasted bagel with cream cheese.

"No, but I'm going back later. She has to give me something." Robert leans on his cane, shifting his weight to the left.

"If you'd like me will try, I could." He takes another bite.

"No, no, I can do it. Each time she answers the door, I know she and the baby are okay."

"Keeping an in eye on her while being a nuisance, that's smart."  

"If that's how I have to do it then I will. I'm going to make sure they're fine like I promised. I'm not going to let Norman down again."

"That's honorable, Robert."

"Thank you, son." He places his hand on his shoulder and leads him into the office.

An hour later, Robert knocks on the door of the Victorian again and waits a while before she answers. "You know what I want," he says the moment she opens the door.

"Yeah, I know just what you want. A kick to the fucking head, then maybe my husband will come back."

"That's not funny," he snarls, lowering his brow.

"It wasn't meant to be funny."

"Belle, please," he begs. "I've done everything you've asked me to do and this is all I need from you."

"Ugh!" she groans, rolling her eyes. "Fine, but you wait right here."

"Thank you so much."

She slams the door in his face.

Robert steps to the edge of the porch and waits for Belle to return with the cloths. He gazes down at the motel, watching a customer entering their car, and suddenly sees a black shirt cascading from the sky. Robert gimps out to collect the shirt and a pair of black pants fall on his head. "Fuck!" He pulls the pants from his head, looks up to the second floor of the house and Belle is tossing out more stuff. "What the hell, Belle?"

"Now you can leave me alone!" She throws another shirt from the window.

"This is the most childish display I've ever seen."

"Good." She aims a pair of pants at him and tosses them out.

He's hit directly in the face. "Since you have all of this energy." He pulls the pair off of his face, trying desperately to stay calm. "You should really consider going with us."

"Didn't I already answer that question?"

"Yes, but I'm asking again."

"My answer hasn't changed."

"Fine." He throws his hands in the air and picks up the rest of the clothing.

Belle takes a moment to think. She's been locked away in the house for four days, with a few occasional visits down to the motel, and she is getting a little restless. She needs to go somewhere where everything around her doesn't remind her of Norman and even through Robert shares Norman's face, she doesn't have to look at it. "Hey!" She stops Robert just before he makes his way back to the motel.

"What?" He turns to the manor.

"When are you and Neal heading out?"

Robert is excited that she changed her mind, but he doesn't show his emotions on his face. "We're leaving when I get dressed."

"Wait for me. I'm coming."

"I'm happy to see that you..."

She closes the window in the middle of his sentence.

Robert is feed up with her rudeness, but he can push it to that side. At least he's done his job of getting her out of the house. He's more than thrilled that she and the baby are coming. He can't wait to see her smiling face down at the festival.

##  *******

Belle drives her yellow Volkswagen bug to Storybrooke's Main Street, with Neal sitting next to her and Robert behind her next to the baby girl. "You better not be back there touching her," Belle orders, stopping the car at a red light.

"I had a feeling you wouldn't want me to. So I haven't been, but she is touching me."

"Don't touch him, sweet pea, that's not daddy."

Neal turns in his seat and looks back at a man that appears almost frighten of a little girl patting his arm. "I have a question."

Robert moves his arm from Baelee and tries to scoot away, but there's no real space between him and the car seat. "Well, what is it?"

"How is Bae only Norman's daughter and I'm the son of both of you?"

"Because I would never sleep with him," Belle instantly answers.

"That's not why, Lass. And just so you know, I would never sleep with you either," Robert lies.

"So how does it work?" Neal asks.

"It's something Norman and I just know."

"How?"

Robert rolls his eyes and glares out of his window.

"I'd like to know the answer to that too," Belle comments and makes a left turn.

"Okay," Robert sighs out and looks to Neal. "Belle got pregnant during a time when I wasn't around, like the way Norman is gone now. With you...." He point to Neal. "We were both here."

"So if you were going to have a child right now, it would just be yours?" Neal inquires. Everyday he grows more curious about the way Norman and Robert live their lives.

"Yes." He nods. "But I'm not planning on having any. I just want to be your father and Nugget's grandfather."

"You're not going to be anything to Bae." Belle buts in. "That's not even your body, you're just a visitor in it. You're not even real."

"That stung just as bad as the first time you said it. This is my body too and I am real!" Robert howls and the car falls quite. He's sick of her saying that he isn't real. He's as much as a real man as Norman is.

Moments later, Belle pulls into a parking lot one block away from Main Street where the event is taking place. Robert immediately gets out of the car and hobbles with his cane ahead of everyone.

"Maybe you shouldn't be so hard on him, Belle. He does have feeling and saying that he isn't real is a bit harsh."

Her eyes widen as she slowly turns her head to Neal. "What!?"

"I think you're being a little too hard on him."

Belle's jaw drops. It's inconceivable what Neal is saying. "Too hard on him?" She repeats the words that she thinks make the less sense.

"He's done nothing but try to help you."

"You have no idea what that man has done to me."

"No, no I don't and all I can speak of is what I've seen." He unbuckles his seat belt. "I see a man that knows he's made mistakes and he's trying to amend them between you and Norman."

"You have no idea what you're talking about Neal. You've only been around him for four days."

"Yes, but I've gotten to know him in four days. You've been around him a lot longer than I have and I'm starting to believe he's right about you."

"What did he say about me?" Belle's internal temperature rises. It's unbelievable that Robert has been talking about her behind her back.

"Nothing bad or spiteful and he really doesn't talk about you at all. He just said you didn't know him and I'm starting to see that it's true."

"I'm not going to apologize to him and try to be his friend. He doesn't deserve it." 

"I'm not saying that and I know you have your reasons for the way you treat him. I just believe in giving people a chance. He's trying and I think you should too. Norman did leave him to look after you and the baby. That's gotta mean something."

Belle thinks that maybe there's some truth in want he speaks. "I think you're right, not about everything, but really the part about Norman. I can probably ease off on him a bit."

"I think if you do, you will start to feel a little better."

"Maybe." She shrugs her shoulders.

A caring smile lights upon Neal’s face, as he looks at Belle. He isn't trying to tell her what to do. He just thinks she can feel better if she didn't spend a lot of her energy on hating. "Do you need any help with the baby?"

"No, but thank you. I think you should probably find Robert. I don't know how he is around crowds."

"Alright. I'll see you in a minute." Neal exits the car and rushes the direction Robert left.

##  *******

The Storybrooke's Miner's Day celebration is in full swing on this last night of the festival and the event is packed with residents and tourist. Most of the Gold family is engaging in the carnival games and rides, but Robert stands back, keeping a close watch over the family, and observes everyone around him having fun, especially Belle. He's enjoying watching her from a distances as she helps Baelee with the children's games. The way her face lights up to the sight of her daughter winning prizes, makes his heart flutter. Belle is such a wonderful mother and that energy radiating through her is the one of the most beautiful things he's ever seen.

“Is there any way I’m going to get you to do something? Or are you just going to spy on Belle from afar.” Neal hands Robert a cone of cotton candy. 

“I’m not spying.” He snatches up the candy. “And I hate this fluffy shit.” 

“Have you ever had it before?”

“No.” 

“Than how do you know you don’t like it.” Neal eats his sugary treat. 

Robert stares at the cotton candy, curling up his lip in disgust. He hates how airy the spun sugar looks. “Because it’s pink and blue and it looks like the top of a clowns head. And I fucking hate clowns.” 

“Why don’t you try it. I promise you, it’s not made from clown hair,” Neal chuckles. 

“Fine.” He takes a piece of the pink side of the cloud candy and places it into his mouth. The candy dissolves on his tongue and all that’s left is the taste of sweet sugar. “This stuff is fucking pointless.”

"It's candy. It isn't supposed to really have a point. It's just fun."

"For some people maybe."

Neal smiles, shaking his head. "When are we going to get that grouchiness out of you. Everything is fucking this and fucking that."

"You can't." Belle steps up behind them, holding Baelee and all the toys she has won. "It's just a part of who he is. There's no way to get it out."

"I'm not all grouch, Lass." He takes the stuffed animals prizes (a giant purple crocodile, rainbow striped fish and two twin monkeys) and hold them for Belle, so she only has the baby.

"Yes, I'm starting to see that." She didn't expect him to carry the toys for her.

"Well, what are you guys doing next? I'll just watch." Robert stuffs all the toys under his left arm.

"I don't know. Bae has been on all the rides she can go on." Belle's attention is suddenly caught by a dark hair, dark skinned woman wearing blue jeans and a white shirt. She holds the hand of a balding, fair skinned man wearing almost the same outfit. Belle instantly decides to meets up with them.

Robert and Neal watches as she walks away.

The woman waves at Belle and meets her halfway, dragging her male companion with her. "I didn't expect to see you here. It's nice to be outside the motel."

"Yes, it is Tamara. How are you and Greg doing tonight?" Belle bounces the baby on her hip.

Greg and Tamara Mendell are customers in the motel that have been staying the past two days. Belle quickly acquired a acquaintanceship with Tamara since they've checked in and the friendship has helped Belle through her rough patch in life. Though the couple is heavy on the religious side, Belle still finds their company comforting and normal, but Robert finds them bizarre.

"By the Lord's good grace, we are alive and well." Tamara squeezes Greg's hand and places her other over her heart.

"That's... That's very nice to hear," Belle answers with a smile. She and Norman aren't the religious type. They do believe that there is a purpose in life, but not so much that there's an entity carving the path of one's future. No one decides their fate but themselves.

"And you on this blessed evening?" Tamara asks.

Belle looks at the baby in her arms and lies to her new friend. "We're doing great." She's barely holding herself together after Norman left, but she's at the festival right now and she only wants to focus on this moment. "I'm having lots of fun with my family."

"Family is a fine thing to have. Isn't that right, Greg?"

"Yes, Angel, family is a great gift."

Tamara looks over Belle's shoulders and sees Robert struggling to keep all the toys under his arm and trying balance his weight on the cane. "Your husband though, he's quite a character. I keep getting the feeling that he doesn't like us."

"My husband?" Belle doesn't remember ever introducing Robert as her husband. "How do you know we're married?"

"Your matching wedding rings. We saw his the day we checked into the motel. Tamara and I like to notice such things, marriage is another blessing." Greg kisses his wife's hand.

"Amen."

"Oh, oh yes." Belle gazes down at her white gold ring with diamonds embedded in the band, and twists it around her finger. "Don't worry about him. He doesn't like anyone, he equally hates everyone."

"Really? That's a bit odd to hate everyone?" Tamara comments and looks at Greg perplexed.

"That's just how he is."

"Oh, well, I understand."

"It really isn't personal." Belle tries to explain, without really explaining.

"I understand." Tamara nods.

Robert doesn't like the fact that Belle has associated herself with these strange people. There's just something about them that makes his stomach turn. "Belle?" He steps next to her, leaving Neal alone by an empty bench, and buts into their conversation. "I'm ready to go on that ride now."

Belle turns to him with raised eyebrows, puzzled by his words. He's been telling them all night that he doesn't do rides. "Wh-what?"

Robert wants to get her far away from the religious couple. "I'm ready to go on a ride and I'm ready for you to come on it with me." He'll say anything to end this conversation.

"Oh... Uhh... Okay?" She agrees out of pure shock and not having any other words on her tongue.

"Good. Let's go." Robert grabs Belle's arm.

"Wait!" Belle turns back to the couple. "I've been practicing cooking and I'd really love for you guys to come up to the house sometime tomorrow. I'd like to test my skills on someone other than family."

"We'd love too!"

"Angel?" Greg takes Tamara's attention. "We have that thing to take care of after church." He emphasizes the word thing and gives his wife a faint wink.

"Oh, I forgot about that." Whatever they have planned it suddenly just returned to her.

"How could you forget?"

"I was just so excited about trying some of Belle's cooking." Tamara pouts.

Greg longingly gazes into his wife's eyes and changes his mind about their plans.

Belle admires the way he looks lovingly at Tamara. She misses that kind of expression on Norman's face.

Robert watches in repulsion, something with this happy couple just seems fake.  

"I'll tell you what." Greg moves the black straight hair from Tamara's face, scooting it behind her ear. "I'll handle it tomorrow."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I can do it. You go ahead and join Belle."

"Thank you, Babe!" Tamara wraps her arms around Greg's neck and gives him a peck on the lips, then faces Belle. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"I can't wait." Belle feels a tug at her arm.

"Come on Belle, let's go." Even through his hands are full, Robert is still able to pull her away from the couple. "I can't believe you just invited her to the house." He looks back and Tamara and Greg are leaving the festival, hand in hand.

"Why? What's wrong with that?"

"I don't know. There just something about them."

"It's probably because they're normal." Belle buries her nose in Baelee's brown curls, taking in her scent. "I need something normal in my life, even if it is on the boring side, I need that too. It would be nice if you'd tried not to fuck it up."

Robert drops his jaw. "Fuck it up?"

"Yes."

"If your definition of fucking it up means me keeping an eye on you and the baby, then I'm sorry, that's what's going to happen. I will be fucking it up."

"That's not what I meant. I know there's nothing I can do to stop you from looking out for us. What I meant was by trying to stop her from coming to the house or you showing up at the house, being... You."

"Fine!" He nearly dropped all the toys and walked away when she spoke that last sentence. He'll do what she asks, he doesn't like it at all, but he'll do it. And watch the house from the motel likes he's done for four days.

"Fine." She really hopes he can keep his word. She's looking forward to a sense of normality in her day tomorrow. Belle holds her daughter close, as she's starting to fall asleep, but Belle hasn't had a chance to get on any rides by herself and she truly wants too. She walks over to Neal and hands him the sleepy baby. "Will you watch her for a few minutes?"

"No problem." He takes his baby sister in his arms, cradling her. He's used to taking care of small children and Belle can tell. "Where are you going?"

"Robert wants to go on a ride."

"Wait, really? He's been telling me no all night to the rides."

"I'm sure asking me was just a distraction to pull me away, but I'm gonna really take him on his offer. Besides, I haven't been on any rides without, sweet pea, with me. "

"I see now." He nobs and his baby sister lays her head comfortably on his shoulder.

"She's very tired." Belle runs her fingers through Baelee's brown curls. "I won't be long, just one ride and we can head home."

"It's not a problem. You have fun."

Belle rolls her eyes and laughs to herself. "I'm going with him, so I doubt it will be fun" She kisses her daughter's cheek. "Mommy will be back." She meets up with Robert, standing with an arm full of toys, watching the crowd walking around him. She thinks he looks a little paranoid surrounded by all of the people. "Are you okay?"

He's body jerks a bit as he takes in a quiet quick breath. She has never spoke words of endearment to him and they send tingles down his spine. "Yes, I'm fine. We've been here are hours and I'm still trying to get used to the crowd. I haven't been around so many people in ages."

"Well, that's okay. We all feel like that sometimes."

"Even you?"

She nods. "Why don't you take those toys to Neal and meet me over there." She points to the spinning teacup ride.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, very." She strolls ahead to the oversize teacup ride.

Robert hobbles to the bench where Neal is sitting and sits all the toys next to him. "We'll be back soon, son."

"Bae and I are fine. We'll be here when you come back."

Robert turns from Neal and walks ahead a few paces, then straightens out his black button down shirt. Belle didn't toss out any full suits from the window earlier, so he doesn't have a jacket or tie like he'd like. When he thinks he looks presentable for the lady, he struts up to the teacups with his cane. "Belle." He nods.

"Robert."

They stare at each other for a moment, not having a clue as to what they're doing.

"I didn't want to go alone." Belle breaks the odd silence between them.

"That's understandable. I wouldn't want to go alone either." He stands next to her with his left hand in his pocket and the right on the handle of his cane, waiting in line together for their turn on the ride. He's anxious over what's about to happen, but he keeps a solid face.

"The way I've been treating you was wrong."

He cuts his eyes at her and she doesn't look to him at all. This is probably as close to an apology as she's going to get. "I deserved it."

"Yes you did."

Minutes later, they make their way to the front of the line for their turn on the teacup ride. Belle rushes to the white and blue teacup that looks like the chipped cup Norman gave to her. Robert leaves his cane with the ride operator and lurches behind Belle, looking forward to having this moment with her, but not looking to the actual ride.   
  
"Hurry up! Before they turn the ride on and you go flying off," she giggles, taking her seat in the cup.   
  
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"   
  
"I might."   
  
Robert sits next her and quickly scoots away. He sat a little too close and their knees touched. "I'm sorry."  
  
"For what?" She didn't even feel him.   
  
"Nothing." He grips the wheel in the center of the cup.   
  
"That's not what's that's for." Belle laughs to herself. He has no idea what's in store on this ride.   
  
"It's not for holding on?" 

"Not really."   
  
The ride operator goes to each teacup and assures that the doors are securely shut. After she checks every one, she goes back to the controls and starts the ride.   
  
All the teacups slowly start to move in a circular motion and Robert grips the wheel tighter.   
  
"That's not what that's for." Belle throws her hands in the air, closing her eyes, as the cup picks up speed. She enjoys a moment of absolute freedom.

Round and around the teacup ride goes.   
  
Robert's eyes pop out of his skull, his body stiffened and he starts to tremble. Wind and hair hits his face, as his vision of the things around him blur.   
  
Belle looks at Robert, he's the only thing she can see clearly and she thinks he looks like a frightened cat. "You wanna know what that wheel is for?"   
  
"No thank you!" His voice cracks. He isn't used to spinning around at such great velocity.   
  
"It's part of the fun." She scoots closer to him, resting her left hand over his right and places her other on the wheel.   
  
Robert body stops trembling the instant she touches him.   
  
"Do you trust me?"   
  
If his eyes weren't already widened from the ride, they grow once again from the shock of her words. She's saying things to him tonight, he thought he would never hear.

Robert can't speak from the adrenaline rushing through him, so he nods to answer her question.   
  
"I was hoping you would." She turns the wheel in the center of the teacup and they begin to spin in the opposite direction of the rest of the ride.   
  
"Ah!" Robert yells involuntarily and covers his lips with his hand.   
  
Belle giggles at the expression of confusion on his face. She can't remember the last time she had so much fun and it feels incredible to not have to think about anything but spinning in a teacup.   
  
The ride starts to slow down and Robert grips the back of the cup, breathing heavily, and gracious that the terrible ordeal is over.   
  
She notices his body shivering and her natural instinct kicks in for every time she sees Norman tremble. Belle forgets for a moment who the man next to her is and she wraps her arms around him, holding his head to her heart. "It's alright," she whispers.   
  
Robert melds into her warm arms, breathing in her perfume, and his anxiety disappears. "Why would they make such a horrible thing like this?"   
  
She takes in a deep sharp breath. Belle was lost in the moment, but when he spoke without the stutter, she was brought back into the reality that she is not with her husband. She removes her arms from around him and scoots away. "You're okay, right?"   
  
"Yes, Lass, I'm fine." He glances down at his jittery hands.   
  
"You really don't do rides, do you?"   
  
"No, that's always been Norman's thing." He licks his dry lips.   
  
"Let's get you out of here." Belle unlocks the door to the cup and offers Robert her hand. If she's feeling dizzy then he must feel ten times worse.   
  
"Thank you, Belle." He takes her hand and steps out of the cup, almost losing his balance. If it wasn't for her hand, he would have surely landed on his face.   
  
Belle and Robert collect his cane from the ride operator, then meet back with Neal and the baby. They gather the toys, walk to the car together and head straight home to the motel. Belle and Robert never mention the incident at the teacups. They've both convinced themselves it never happened.

##  *******

The day after the festival, all of the customers in the motel checked out, except for the Mendells. Robert spends the mornings cleaning the vacant rooms and Belle spends hers trying to bake muffins for Tamara's visit. She follows the recipe in a cookbook Norman gave to her, blueberry lemon muffins, and places them in the oven to bake. She's excited to have Tamara coming to the house. This distraction is exactly what she needs to help ease her mind from missing Norman.

Belle removes the fresh muffins from the oven when there's a knock on the manor door. She answers the door to find Tamara standing behind it.

"Good morning, Belle." Tamara's mouth stretched into a tight smile.

"Good morning to you as well." Belle smiles brightly.

"I hope this isn't too early. The church in Storybrooke lets out a lot earlier that we are used too."

"No it's fine. I actually just took the muffins out of the oven, so I was expecting you."

"Oh, great!"

"Please, come in." Belle welcomes her into her home.

Tamara steps inside for the first time and nonchalantly looks around the living room, making mental notes of what troubles her. She's a good Christian woman that likes to acquaint herself with others like her. So she looks for things pointing at a proper Christian household. Despite having a large collection of books on the bookshelf, across from the fireplace, Tamara notices that the bible is not among the vast number of books and she finds this troubling. Something else also comes to her attention, the lack of any crosses in the house. She finds this unacceptable and with a baby in the house, it's a downright sin.  "Your home is quite lovely."

"Thank you." Belle offers her a seat at the couch.

She takes a seat, still looking around her surroundings.

"I'll go get the muffins for us." Belle goes into the kitchen and sets up the muffins on a silver tray with some hot lemon tea, then returns to the living room, sitting the tray on the coffee table.

"Those look lovely. You've done a great job, just by the look of them."

"Thank you so much. That really means a lot." Belle sits down and pours two cups of tea.

"Where's your sweet child?"

"Oh, she's upstairs, asleep." She hands Tamara a cup and takes a sip of her own.

"I hope Greg and I are able to have a beautiful child like you and your husband."

"I'm sure it will happen for you someday." Belle smiles brightly at her guest.

"Yes, I'm sure of it. Children are a gift from God." Tamara nods while closing her eyes.

Belle smiles and drinks from her cup.

"Are you and your husband planning to have more?" Tamara helps herself to a muffin.

"No, no, we don't plan anymore. One is enough. Our lives are pretty hectic with just Bae."

"I see and I can understand that. Don't want to have too many children if you're not prepared for them." She takes a bite of the warm sweet muffin and it tastes just as delicious as it looks. "These are great," she adds.

"Thank you," Belle answers kindly. She's happy to hear that she likes the muffin and that she made them correctly.

"How about your husband's brother? Does he have children?"

Belle thinks she's asking a lot of questions and is feeling like she's being interviewed, but the conversation hasn't made her uncomfortable and she's still enjoying the company. "Are you asking about the man in cabin seven? Because my husband doesn't have a brother."

"I'm sorry, I just assumed. He looks just like your husband. At first I thought he was his son, but you can't possibly have a child that old. You're still a baby yourself. Then I instantly just thought brother." Tamara thinks she's usually right about these things. She and her husband have made a habit out of reading people, so that they only build ties with the ones that walk in the holy light. "So he's a child from a previous marriage of your husband's?"

Belle wants to clear her assumptions, so they can move on to a better conversation. "That's okay." She politely nods. "He is my husband's son, but no, he was never married before me."

Tamara's eyes widen, but she's able to keep a straight face. Having a child out of wedlock is a great sin, according to the good book, and finding this out only raises further questions. Tamara has several more things running through her mind and she's not one to hold her tongue. "I can't help but notice a few things?"

Belle is meagerly suspicious of what things she has noticed, but she does like Tamara and would like to get to know her. Maybe they can remain friends after she and her husband check out. "What have you noticed?"

"There isn't a bible in our room and at first I didn't think anything about it. Bible's get stolen by miscreants in motels, but I checked another room, when your husband left it open, and there wasn't one there either."

Now Belle thinks it's rather odd that she's checking other rooms for bibles.

"And I thought what a strange coincidence, but now I'm sitting in your home and there isn't one here either."

Belle is sitting puzzled and wondering if there's supposed to be a question in all of this. She fixes her skirt and clears her throat thinking of a proper response. "My husband and I aren't the religious type," Belle shrugs. "It's just not something that ever comes up."

Tamara's fidgets in her seat and clears her throat as well, "Yes, I see." Placing her cup of tea down on the coffee table, Tamara folds her hands on her lap. "So then, neither you or your husband believe in God or that Jesus is your Lord and savior?"

Belle blinks, taken completely by surprise at Tamara's boldness, "I don't see how that's any of your business, but to answer your question no."

"But what about your daughter?" Tamara ask.

"What about Bea? I don't see what my daughter has to do with this conversation." Belle snaps. The memories of that horrible night with Cora ran fresh through her mind and she's starts to go on the defense.

"Don't you see Belle, she has everything to do with this." Tamara's tight smile was back on her face.

Belle shifts away from Tamara, she could feel her blood beginning to boil, "What exactly do you mean by that?" She hisses through her teeth.

"Well certainly you wouldn't want your daughter to go to hell, I..." Tamara didn't have a chance to finish her sentence, as Belle abruptly cut her off.

"Is this how you get people to join your church? You threaten their loved ones with hellfire and brimstone?" Belle accuses her. It didn't matter if she believed in hell or not. That night she almost lost Baelee, was the most hellish night of her life. "I think you should leave." Belle had no idea that she was this kind of bible nut.

"But I was..."

"I said leave." This conversation went south quickly.

All Tamara could think of, as she calmly walked out of the house, was how their poor baby haven't been Christened. She has the taste of bile in the back of her throat, this just couldn't stand. In this instant, she makes it her mission to purify the Gold family of their sinful lifestyle, just like she and Greg has done in the past.

##  *******

A few hours after Belle kicked Tamara out of the house, Robert is still cleaning the vacated rooms. He hasn't been the motel caretaker in years and he isn't as fast with the clean up as Norman. He stands in the bathroom of cabin ten, staring at the toilet, dreading on cleaning yet another.

"Mr. Gold? Are you in here?" Greg welcomes himself into the room.

Robert drops the toilet brush on the floor, picks up his cane and peeks his head out the door. He isn't too pleased to see Greg Mendell. "What do you want?" He steps out of the bathroom.

"I was wondering if there's any way you could fix the shower in our room, it's only running cold."

"That's impossible." He shifts his weight to the left and leans on his cane. "All of the water is running from the same system in all of the rooms. I've been in quite a few of them today and each one has heated water."

"I don't know what's wrong, but we don't have it." Greg insist. "It's your job to check it."

Robert blinks his eyes in disbelief. "Are you telling me what my job is?" He steps close to Greg. "I'm very aware of it and I don't need you telling me," he snarls through his teeth. Something about this man never sat well with Robert. "Now get out!"

"Huh, some customer service," Greg gripes, as he turns away and slithers out of the room.

Robert returns to the bathroom and flushes the toilet, staring into the void of the spinning water. He's really not looking forward to doing this and he has one more to clean after he's finished here. He really hopes Belle appreciates what he's doing and will see that he can do anything she asks. There's a lot more to him than she thinks and he wants to show her those parts of him.

Suddenly, Robert feels a prick in the side of his neck and he quickly turns around to Greg holding an empty syringe. Robert fumes with fury at the sight of him. "You should at least have the fucking balls to drug a man face to face," he hisses, lifting his cane to swing at Greg, but the tranquilizer is taking effect and his vision is blurry.

Greg doges his swing, but he feels Robert's back swing connect to the side of his neck. "Fuck!" He cries in agonizing pain and grabs at his neck.

Robert doesn't go down without a fight. He's going to do the best he can to protect himself and his family. Robert swings at Greg again and hits the small of his back.

"Oh shit!" Greg stumbles into the shower and falls in.

Robert tries to make his escape to get to Belle and the baby, but his body gives into the drug. His legs go weak and he loses his balance, only making it as far as the bed. His eyes roll to the back of his head, as he crashes to the floor, losing his fight with the powerful drug.

Greg sluggishly picks himself out of the tub and stands over Robert's body. This isn't the way he wanted to start things. Robert was supposed to be lured to Greg's room and have an easier take down, but instead Robert saw through his lies and didn't take the bait. Greg closes his eyes and prays to God to give him strength for what to come next. "In Jesus’ name, your work shall be done." He picks up Robert's legs and drags him to the exit. He peeks out the door, making sure no one is around, and steps out, dragging Robert's body to cabin eleven. He opens the door and Tamara helps Greg with the rest of the pull.

##  *******

Neal steps out of his motel room to visit Belle and his baby sister. He only has a few more days in Storybrooke, before he has to head home to his loving girlfriend Emma Swan, the sheriff of the highway patrol, and his twelve year old son Henry Swan. The reason why he's heading up to the manor is to ask Belle's advice. He isn't sure if he should tell Robert that he has another grandchild or if he should wait until Norman returns. He didn't tell them before because he wasn't sure that the Gold's would fully accept him into their lives. Now that he knows they have, he wants to tell them that the family is a lot bigger.

As Neal walks past cabin one, he's suddenly yanked back and a cloth, smelling of the sweet orange scent of chloroform mixed with alcohol, is places on his face. He fights back, clawing at the head of the person behind him, but he abruptly stops when the barrel of a 45 is in his face.

Tamara Mendell holds the gun and she knows how to use it. "Make this easier on yourself and just corporate. This is all God's plan, but we are the ones that must act it out." She gestures for Greg to remove the cloth.

Neal stands silent, stricken with fear. He thought this couple were humble, good people, but he's just been proven dead wrong.

"Walk, little sheep," she orders. "God has chosen to save you from a lifetime of sin."

##  *******

For the past fifteen minutes, Belle tries to rock Baelee to sleep. She's been fussy all day and Belle knows that she's missing her father. The battle between mother and daughter is a rough one for Belle and she thinks it's time to move on to more desperate measures. "You want to see daddy?" She lifts the baby up from her lap. "We'll go down to see daddy." She stands up, holding her daughter high on her shoulder.

Baelee's face illuminates with excitement, daddy is exactly who she wants to see.

"But it's just fake daddy," Belle mumbles under her breath, as she walks to the front door. She opens the manor door and to her surprise Tamara is standing behind it, holding a coffee mug with a cake baked inside.

"Peace treaty." Tamara smiles and sticks a spoon into the mug. "I know that I can come off pretty strong about religion and it's something I'm working on fixing. I don't want to ruin a friendship that's just blossoming." She holds out the Santa Claus coffee mug. "I made you a microwave rum cake, with my apologies."

Belle isn't sure what to think, but Tamara does seem sincere in her apology and she would like to start over. Belle really needs a friend during this rough time in her life, someone there to talk to that can ease some of her worries. She truly liked Tamara when they first met and Belle feels she is someone she could easily talk to. "Alright." She takes the warm cake and brings it to her nose for a smell. "I would love for us to start again."

"Thank you so much, Belle. I feel like a weight has been lifted. I hated the way I made you feel."

"It's alright. That's all behind us now."

"Yes it is." Tamara nods, closing her eyes. "Please, try the cake. I made it just for you from microwave down in the laundry room. I'd really love to see your face when you taste it."

Belle looks to Baelee sitting in her arm and smiles at her precious daughter. "Would you like a bite too?"

"Oh, no, no!" Tamara hastily interrupts. "There's real rum in the cake. You don't want to give it to the baby. I don't like using rum extract, it's disgusting."

"Thank you for telling me." Belle sits Baelee down on the floor. "If she sees me eating it, she's gonna want some and start reaching for it." She giggles and takes a spoonful of cake into her mouth. "Mmm, I didn't know you could make cake in a microwave."

"It's a very simple recipe and it is different from mixing a cake to be baked in the oven."

"Oh really?" Belle takes another big bite. She's enjoying the fresh taste of spiced rum that the cake soaked up.

"Yes. You have to be careful when you're mixing the rum and tranquilizer to soak the cake in. You don't want to over do it."

Belle's eyes widen and she drops the mug to the floor. She instantly goes into protection mode and closes the front door, hitting Tamara in the face, and scoops up Baelee. She rushes to the kitchen to escape out of the back, but the drug is taking effect and she can feel her body weakening. She knows she isn't going to get far. Belle hides Baelee in the pantry closet and closes the door, then pulls out the chef's knife from the knife block on the counter. She has killed to protect her daughter once before and she'll do it again in a heart beat. Belle stands in front of the kitchen table, ready to do all that she can to make sure this bitch doesn't get what she wants.

Tamara enters the kitchen and takes one glance at Belle. The way she stands slouches forwards and fighting to keep her eyes open, is telling Tamara that the drugs are making her woozy.

"I'm going to fucking kill you!" She howls and holds the knife above her head, as she charges at Tamara, begin the cat fight of death.

Tamara stops the knife from coming down in her and pushes Belle away. She know this burst of energy won't last long. She steps up to Belle to show her that she is fearless as well. "I have God on my side." She spreads her arms out like angel wings, tilting her head back with her eyes closed.

Belle swings at her, but she misses and collapses to her knees, dropping the knife. The drugs are working a lot faster, having been mixed with alcohol.

"I told you God was on my side." She turns away from Belle and opens the pantry door, removing the crying child.

"Don't hurt my baby!" Belle pleads in a gut wrenching cry.

"I won't be hurting your daughter." Tamara steps back in front of Belle and lightly presses her foot against Belle’s shoulder, causing her fall on her back. "I'll be saving her."

Belle's eyes fade to black and the last things she see is Tamara above her holding her baby girl.

The innocent looking cake in a Christmas coffee mug has done it's job.

##  *******

Water splashes on Belle and Robert's faces and they jerk out of their drug induced nap. They find themselves on the floor of one of the motel rooms, tied with their hands behind their backs with thick ropes, gagged with towels from the bathroom and Neal sits next to them in the exact same state.

Belle starts to cry uncontrollably at the sight of her daughter in Tamara's arms, blaming herself for what's happening and wishing she could have done more to protect her.

Neal stares at his family, shaking with fear, thinking this is the end, and wishing he could see his family back in New York one last time.

Robert sits calmly, eyeing Greg and Tamara, watching their every move. He already knows how he's going to kill them both.

"Everyone is here and awaken, Angel." Greg kisses Tamara's brow.

"Praise the Lord." She sits on the dresser with Baelee in her arms.

"I bet you're all wondering why God has brought you here?" Greg addresses his tied victims "Today is your lucky day. God has chosen you to be saved and join him in his holy light." He turns to Tamara, giving her a grin. "Shall we get started, Angel?"

"Yes, we should." She stands from the dresser with the baby, steps up to Robert and removes his gag.

Baelee instantly reaches for the man she thinks is her father.

"No, Nugget." Robert calmly speaks, shaking his head. "Pop Pop can't get you right now. I'll have you later." He assures the little one. He's amazed by her bravery and it reminds him of her mother.

"Your a confidant one." Tamara chuckles, holding back the baby. "Thinking you'll be getting her back so soon."

Robert cuts his eyes at Tamara, giving her the death stare, then looks back at Baelee and encourages her. "You just continue to be a good little girl."

"Okay, that's enough!" Greg cuts him off. "Get on with it, Angel."

Tamara looks Robert square in the eyes. "Repent your sinful lifestyle and ask God for his forgiveness."

Robert lowers his head, hiding his face behind soaked hair, and giggles in his high pitched impish laugh.

"You think this is funny?" Tamara snaps. "Repent!"

He lifts his head, tilting it to the right. "I'm going to get out of these ropes, Lass, and I'm going to kill you both."

"This one likes to make idle threats." She backs away from Robert. "Put the gag back on him, Babe."

Greg rushes up to Robert and slaps him across the face.

Belle and Neal's muffled screams fill the room.

Robert snaps his head back in place, unfazed by the slap.

"Don't you ever threaten my wife again!" He howls, pointing his finger in Robert's face.

A fiendish smirk curls upon Robert's lips and he suddenly lunges forward, taking Greg's wrist into his mouth, pulling him back. Greg falls face first into him and Robert savagely sinks his teeth into the left side of Greg's face.

Greg let's out a horrifying screech, as blood squirts out from his cheek and straying onto the wall of the room. He desperately tries to pull himself away from Robert's jaw, but Robert sinks his fangs in deeper.

"Fuck!" Tamara immediately sits the baby down on the floor and dashes to help her husband. She grabs at his shoulders and yanks him back, freeing him from Robert’s grip.

Robert took off a small bit of Greg's flesh, now his mouth is full with skin and blood. He spits out the chunky slurry at the holy couple, splattering it all over them and laughs while blood drips down the side of his lips.

Tamara scrambles to get her husband into the bathroom and aid his wound.

Belle and Neal try to scoot closer to Baelee while all the chaos is taking place, but Tamara quickly returns pointing a 45 at everyone. "Scoot fucking back!" she orders and they instantly obey, returning to their places against the wall. "I'm gonna kill this one, Babe." She cocks the 45 in Robert's face.

Robert leans into the nozzle of the barrel, staring her dead in the eye. He knows this bitch isn't going to shoot.

"No." Greg steps out of the bathroom, pressing a warm towel against his tender face. He's still shaken up and pissed about what just happened, but he isn't going to let the pain stop him from moving on. They must continue with God's plan. "You can't do that, Angel. He has been chosen, along with the others, by God."

"Look what he did to you!"

"I know he took a piece of my face." He voice slowly rises with anger. "But it's a small price to pay to finish God's glorious plan."

"Fine." Tamara lowers the gun and slips it in the hostler on Greg's pants, then picks up the crying child from the floor. She holds her close and rocks her, trying her best to comfort the baby girl.

Belle's tears dry and her eyes fill with volcanic rage. Tamara is the last person on earth that should be holding her daughter this way. Witnessing this display makes the urge to rip out Tamara's throat even greater.

Moving on with the plan of making everyone repent their sins, Greg carefully removes Neal's gag and quickly steps back. "Confess your sins before the almighty and be saved from hell's damnation."

"Please, just let us go. None of us has ever done anything to you."

"There's no reasoning with people like them, son." Robert comments. "Don't waste your time."

"You, shut up!" Greg yells. "You had your chance." He looks to his wife. "Put the gag back on him."

"I'm not touching that one." She learned her lesson after seeing what he did to Greg.

"Don't put the baby down. He's not going to try anything funny as long as you have her."

"I don't care. I'm not touching him."

"Don't put the baby down, Angel. He isn't that stupid."

"It's not that fact that he's stupid, Babe." She takes Greg's arm and pulls him back into the bathroom. "How many times have we done this?" she whispers and bounces the baby in her arms.

"I don't know." He shrugs and turns the towel on his face to a clean side. "A dozen?"

"Out of a dozen, have you ever seen anyone that fucking calm?"

Greg glances out of the bathroom and Robert is looking directly at him, snapping his blood stained jaws, resembling a shark after a vicious attack. Greg has never seen anything so psychotic in his life and quickly turns back to his wife. "No, never," he replies, shaking his head.

"He's a fucking lunatic. This is why God chose him. I think we need to speed up the plan."

"I think you're right. You're so smart, Angel. This is exactly why God brought us together."

"Bless it be." She gives him a quick peck on the lips and they exit the bathroom together.

"Change of plans, everyone." Greg announces. "We're moving on to the next phase. Having you repent is turning out to be a waste."

Tamara sits the baby on the bed, re-ties the towel over Neal's lips and unties the rope around his legs.

"Any one of you try anything cute." Greg takes the handgun from his holster and flashes it before everyone sitting on the floor. "The baby gets it first. We don't want to hurt the child, but your actions will make us!" He tosses his blood soaked towel on the floor. The bite wound haven't stopped bleeding yet, but it's not oozing blood like it was before. "You! Stand up!" Greg points the gun at Neal.

With his hands still tied behind his back, Neal uses the wall as leverage to pick himself up. He uses the strength of his legs to push his body along the wall, as he shimmies his back.

"It took you long enough." Greg hands Tamara the gun. "You know what to do with that." He winks at her.

"Yes I do."

Greg pulls Neal by his arm and drags him out to their white and green 1960's Volkswagen bus.

Robert turns to Belle and she's looking at Baelee, she can't keep her eyes off of her precious daughter. "Belle, please look at me."

She looks to him with her eyes and face vibrant red from all the fearful crying.

"I'm going to get us out of this, I promise you that. I will die to keep you all safe." He speaks honestly, with all of his heart. "Do you trust me?"

She closes her eyes and whimpers.

"Do you trust me, Sweetheart?"

Belle opens her eyes and holds back more tears from falling. She nods, giving him all of her trust. Even with drying blood on his face, there's no one in the world right now that she trusts more than Robert.

After getting Neal settled in the minibus, Greg returns to the room.

Tamara unties Belle's legs and helps her up from the floor.

Greg drags her out just like he did with Neal.

Tamara sits on the bed next to Baelee and watches Robert. She knows this man is seriously demented and the only thing that can save him is the grace of God. "You are one sick puppy." Her lip quivers in disgust and the sheer sight of him is making her skin crawl.

"I can say the same about you, Lass. I sensed something was wrong with you two the moment you checked in." He rests the back of his head on the wall and stares daggers at her. "You're just like me, except you hide behind the mask that you call God. You use religion as an excuse for what you do. I don't need to hide behind a fucking mask and that's what scares the shit out of you."

Her eyes widen and she takes in a sharp breath, then quickly picks up the baby, as Greg returns to the room. She relieved he's back. "I'm not touching him, Babe."

"It's alright, Angel. I can handle him." Greg removes a pillow from the bed and takes off the slip.

"Don't get used to holding that baby. I'll be getting her back soon." Robert states one last promise.

"Oh, just shut up." Greg punches him in the face and quickly puts the pillow slip over his head. He unties his legs and drags him out with the others.

Tamara follows them with the baby girl and closes the room door behind them. She makes herself comfortable in the passengers seat of the van, rests Baelee on her lap and waits for Greg to drive them to their next destination.

##  *******

The green and white minibus pulls up a few yards away from the lake, which sits not too far from the motel. It's the very same lake where Robert and Norman have dumped three bodies and four cars, but no one else knows of this but them. Greg turns off the car, steps out and walks to the other side to help his wife.

"It's a perfect day for this, praise Jesus." She holds Baelee close and kisses Greg's lips.

"Yes it is. God has made sure of it." He takes his wife's hand and leads her to the back of the van, then opens the doors. He pulls Robert Gold out of the back and gestures for the others to follow. Greg leads them through the wood and to the edge of the lake, where he forces Robert down on his knees and makes everyone else do the same. Now that they're all lined up facing the lake, Greg removes the pillow slip from Robert's head.

Robert's vision is blurred from the bright sun, but when they adjust, he knows exactly where they are. They couldn't have ended up in a better place. He knows this area like the back of his hand.

"Today is your birthday." Greg walks before them, holding the gun at each of them. "You will all be reborn, free of sin, and of hell's damnation."

"Amen," Tamara cheers.

Greg turns to the body of water and takes a deep breath of the fresh forest air. "Baptism is a gift. It's something you all dearly need and will be given, especially you, Mr. Gold." He looks over his shoulder at Robert. "I can feel that you're the greatest sinner here. You were hand picked by God to be saved." He rushes towards Robert and dramatically drops to his knees a few feet before him. "You shouldn't be upset with us. You should be thanking us."

Robert laughs in his face. Little does Greg know, Robert is thankful to them. He's very thankful that they gave him another reason to kill.

Greg steams with fury. He hates the fact that Robert keeps laughing, nothing that they're doing is a joke. "Angel?" He looks up at his wife.

"Yes, Babe?"

"I think it's time to start." He hands her the gun.

"Who's first?"

"I wouldn't be a gentlemen if the lady didn't go first." He looks at Belle and he gets a rush from the fear flowing through her.

"You're absolutely right." Tamara stands behind Belle and sticks the gun in her back. "Stand up!"

Belle's body trembles, as she weeps with a saliva soaked towel in her mouth, and she slowly stands to her feet.

"Walk," Tamara orders, still holding the baby in her arms.  

Belle looks to Robert, silently pleading for him to make this end. She can't take much more of this torture.

Robert gazes into her eyes as he makes quick work on the ropes behind his back.

"I said walk!" Tamara demands and Belle follows Greg.

Baelee starts to cry as she senses her mother in danger. All four of them walk to the lake while Greg begins the prayer.

"Our heavenly father, we baptized this sinner in the name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." He finishes the prayer as they step into the cold lake.

Neal can no longer sit back and watch the pure evil taking place before him. This whole thing has gone far enough and it needs to end now. He suddenly stands to his feet, and with his hands still tied behind his back, rushes to the group at the lake. He's determined to stop this from going any further, even if it costs him his life. This is his family and no one's gonna fuck with them.

Robert's heart sinks to the pit of his stomach, witnessing his son’s selfless bravery. He glances down at the ground to concentrate on getting his hands free and just as he does, he hears the blast of a 45 caliber handgun going off. Time slows down for Robert as he looks up to watch his son collapsed to the forest floor.

Belle screams with horror as she frantically tries to get her hands free and save her child from these vicious murderers.

Tamara stands proud, holding the baby and the gun. She's been wanting to shoot someone all day.

"What the fuck was that?" Greg yells at his wife.

"He was coming at us. What was I supposed to do?" she barks back.

"He was tied up, he couldn't do shit!"

"Well, I wasn't going to take that chance."

"Give me that gun." Greg dashes to her and snatches the gun out of her hand. "Go make sure you didn't kill him."

"I didn't.” She rolls her eyes. “I shot the poor sap in the shoulder."

"Wait, wait!" Greg fearfully searches their surrounding and hastily takes hold of Belle. "Where the fuck is he? Where the fuck did Gold go?"

“I don’t know. Weren't you watching him?”

“If you weren't randomly shooting people I would have been. I told you about being trigger happy.” He drags Belle out of the lake. “Don’t you let that baby go. She might be the only thing that saves you from him.”

“I can save myself,” she smugly answers.

“Shut up!” Greg observers their surroundings again, thinking he can hear bushes rattling and leaves crunching on the forest floor. “Did you hear that?”

“I didn’t hear anything.”

“Of course you didn’t” He shoves Belle down next to Neal's unconscious body.

Neal lays on his back, bleeding from his right shoulder.

Belle isn’t a nurse but she know the bleeding must stop. If she can’t do anything for her baby girl at this moment, she’s going to do what she can for Neal. With her hands still tied behind her back, Belle presses her body against Neal's wound, trying to stop the bleeding the only way she can think of.

“You stay here,” Greg orders his wife. “I’m going to find him.”

“I’m not saying here with poor sap and her. Me and the baby are going with you and the gun.”

“For once, will you do what I fucking ask!” Greg freaks, pointing the gun every-which-way. “This is where the psycho’s family is, it's the safest fucking place for you right now.”

“Fine, get out of here then.” She shoves Greg.

"Now is not the time for you to get upset. This is your fault that things are like this right now."

She can't believe he's picking this moment to place blame. "Would you shut up and go find him!" she raves.

"That's what I'm trying to do." He rushes off to search for the sinner.

##  *******

Greg and his wife have done these forced baptisms many times and the people that get away from them always go to the car, so that's where he's hoping to find Robert. He runs through the woods, watching his back the entire way to the vehicle. When he gets to the van, he jumps inside and searches every inch of it for anything clue to find Robert, but he comes out with nothing. "Where the hell are you, Gold," he mumbles to himself as he steps out of the back, tired of playing hide and seek. Greg closes the doors and turns to continue his search, but the is now suddenly search is suddenly over.

Robert Gold stands before him, with a villainous grin curled upon his face, and holding a three foot long, five inch thick tree branch above his head. Without warning and with all the force in his body, he instantly brings the heavy branch thundering down on Greg.

Robert had the element of surprise on his side and he didn't waste it. He watched Greg from a distance, and with his knowledge of these parts of the woods, Robert was able to follow him to the car unnoticed.

Greg crashes to the forest floor and the gun falls out of his hand. He never had a chance to draw it. His eyes roll back and his body convulses, as he starts to bleed from the nose.

"You piece of shit," Robert snarls through his teeth and watches him suffer, he deserves every painful moment of it. "You killed my son." He picks up the gun from the ground, sips it in the back of his pants and stands over Greg spasming body. "You killed my son!" Robert face reddens as he fills with an uncontrolled rage that he haven't felt in almost a year, but this rage feels different. It feels more raw.

He lifts the tree branch above his head and savagely crashes it down on Greg's face again, then again, then again, then again. Replaying the image of Neal being shot by Greg's wife in his mind. Blood splatters over Robert clothes and drips on his face from the branch every time he lifts it above his head.

The primitive anger that's inside Robert is the rage of a father that has lost his son.

Beating the man isn't enough for Robert, he needs to feel his life force burn out. He tosses the branch, falls to his knees, sitting on Greg's chest, and wraps his large hands around Greg's scrawny neck. Greg coughs up blood, but Robert doesn't care that it's being spat in his face. Robert growls like a beast as he tightens his grip, feeling the bones cracking in his hands. He stares into Greg's eyes and relishes the moment the light inside of them fade out.

Robert stands to his feet, covered in blood, and breaths out a calming sigh.

This sorry bastard got what he deserved.

He looks down at his work and doesn't recognize the thing lying lifeless at his feet, this is exactly what he wanted. Robert usually likes his kills to be clean, but this one was personal and filled with passionate rage that trying to keep things clean was never an option. Robert steps over the horrifically beaten body and hobbles over to retrieve the tree branch he tossed away, then heads towards the direction of the lake.

It's time for Tamara to join her husband in death.

##  *******

Back at the lakeside, Tamara is waiting anxiously for her husband's return. She grips tightly on to the baby she believes will be her ticket to live.

Belle still lays on Neal's wound and she isn't sure if it has stopped bleeding, but she doesn't move to check. She wants to keep the pressure on it and feeling his heart beating against her is all she has to tell that he's still alive.

Neal slowly starts to move his head and his eyes open. The trauma and the rush of everything happening was too much for him. His body gave out to shock the instant he was shot.

Belle is relieved to see those brown eyes gazing back at her. There was a moment when she thought she'd never see them again.

"Oh shit." Tamara breaths heavily. The sight of a blood stained Robert Gold stepping out of the woods and limping towards her using a large branch as a cane, has put her in a panic. She frantically searches herself for the gun, then it dawn on her that Greg took it with him. “You stay back!” She steps over Belle and Neal, putting herself between Robert and his family. “Where is my husband?" Her grip around Baelee tightens and the baby starts to cry.

"You'll be seeing him soon, Lass." Robert draws the gun from the back of his pants and holds it down at his side. He doesn't point it at Tamara because he doesn't want Baelee to think he's pointing it at her.

Belle quickly sits up, with the front of her blue dress covered in blood and sweat, hysterically trying to get her hands out of the ropes. Robert has control of the situation now and there's only moments before she'll have her baby back in her arms.

The bleeding in Neal's gunshot wound has slowed, thanks to Belle, and he sits up after her. He gestures with his head for Belle to turn around so he can help get her ropes loose.

Robert heart skips a beat when he sees Neal sitting up. He thought he watched his son die when he fall to the ground, never having such a heart wrenching moment in his life. Now knowing that his son is alive, doesn't make him want to kill Tamara any less. Robert lowers his brow and looks her dead in the eye, starting the brutal stand off. "Give me my granddaughter," he roars.

"What did you do to my husband?" she barks back and places one hand around Baelee's neck, threatening to choke her lifeless. She doesn't have any other options left and she wants to live.

"That piece of shit you called your husband is dead."

Tamara's breathing increases, as she feels her world crumble around her, and she begins to pace back and forth, crying. She had a feeling he would be dead the moment she saw all the blood on Robert, but the reality of it still hit her like a rock. "Jesus in heaven." She starts to pray.

Neal and Belle finally get themselves free from their bondage and Belle instantly tries to rush on Tamara from behind, but Neal stops her. He doesn't want her to make the mistake he did and cause the situation to get any worse. Belle let's out a primal war cry as Neal holds her back. "Don't let her hurt my baby!" All she wants is Baelee back in her arms. It's the only thing she needs in the world.

"You evil son of a bitch." Tamara stops pacing and faces Robert dead on. "You didn't have to kill him. He was all I fucking had! God brought us together. He was all I had," she sobs, holding the baby close.

Baelee cries louder and squirms on her arms.

"You don't have to hold a baby hostage, but here we are." Robert let's go of the stick, checks to make sure the gun is loaded and it is. This standoff has reached it's limit, Tamara isn't going to give up and it's time for Robert to get Baelee home safely. "None of this had to fucking happen," he serenely speaks and cocks the 45 handgun. "But you two set out to cause this ending." He hobbles towards Tamara, aims the gun at her left knee and pulls the trigger, shattering her knee like breaking glass.

Tamara wails with excruciating pain as she collapsed to her only knee, but she still manages to keep her hold on the baby.

Belle screams and goes into a mad fit, fighting to get Neal off of her, but he takes a stronger hold on her, shielding her eyes. This situation can end either way at this point and he wants to keep her from seeing it if things goes badly. No mother should have to watch her child die.

Robert steps up to Tamara's, as she's about to clutch her hand around Baelee's neck. He quickly swoops up the baby from Tamara's arms and points the gun between her eyes. "I told you I'd get her back."

"Please, Mr. Gold don't..."

He pulls the trigger on her before she could plead for her pathetic life.

The bullet goes through Tamara's skull and out the back of her head. Her body falls to the ground, ending this hellish chain of events.

Neal's eyes widens and his heart stops. "Shit." He's never seen anyone killed and the entire scene he witnessed looked surreal.

Robert drops the gun, steps over Tamara's draining body and returns his grandchild to her mother.

Belle successfully breaks away from Neal's hold and dashes to Robert. She yanks her baby out of his hands and holds her close. She promised no one would ever take her again and Belle has failed to keep that promise. "I'm sorry so, sweet pea, I'm so sorry." She cries into the side of the baby's neck. "I'm a terrible mother." She breaks down to her knees.

"No you're not, Sweetheart." Robert bends down to her level. "You're the best mother." He isn't sure if he should touch her or not, so he keeps his hands to himself.

Belle lifts her head, gazes into his eyes and slaps him across the face. "You shot her while she held my baby. That was so fucking stupid!" she yells. "You could have missed! " she wipes the tears from her face. "But you didn't.... Thank you, Robert. Thank you so much." He kept his promise to her and saved everyone's life. Belle has never been so grateful to him. She grabs his shoulder, pulls him into her and hugs him tightly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she whimpers.

"You don't have to thank me, Lass."

"Yes I do."

Robert wraps his arms around her and embraces her affections.

"You're a hero, Robert." Neal places his hand on his father's shoulder.

"No I'm not, son. I'm just... I'm just me."

The family share a quiet moment together. Grateful to be alive, relieved that the nightmare is over and happy to still have each other.

"I would kiss your cheek." She pulls out of his arms. "But, you know... You're, you're covered in it." She sniffs and wipes her nose on her skirt of her dress.

"Yeah, I know." He wipes the blood from her cheek.

"We need to get to the house and call the sheriff. Neal needs to go to the hospital."

"We can't do that, Belle," Robert responds, hasty, shaking his head. He'd be locked up of these events were public.

"What, why not?" She blinks and gawks at him confused. Why wouldn't he want to get his son help?

"Let me take care of all this." Robert looks at Belle with wide eyes, biting his bottom lip and playing with fidgety hands. This is the only time he's felt nervous all day. He tries to express to her in so few words, but he can't really say what he means with Neal around.

Belle kisses the baby's head while she's tries to read his body language. Then it dawns on her that he's trying to cover everything up, just like they've done before, but that plan won't work this time. Neal saw everything and she doesn't think it's right to make him carry this kind of lie. Also, he's injured with a gunshot wound and going to the hospital with a wound like his always comes with an investigation. The best solution for them is to call the sheriff, tell everything that happened and admit what Robert did was in self defense to save his family.

Belle places her hand on Robert's cheek and she can feel him trembling. He's actually terrified of what might happen, he doesn't want to be behind bars. "We have to call the sheriff," she explains. "What happened here was self defense. You can't get in trouble for what you did. You protected us, all of us."

"I-I can't?"

"No." She shakes her head and removes her hand from his cheek.

"She's right, Robert. These people were crazy, they wanted to kill us and it felt like they've done this kind of thing before," Neal comments and holds on to his wounded shoulder. "We just have to tell the truth."

He gazes at Belle and looks up at Neal, he's never felt so supported in his life. "Oh, alright." Robert stands to his feet and offers Belle his hand. He can't believe his eyes when she accepts it.

Belle holds Robert's hand tightly as they all make the short walk back to the motel, leaving the Mendell's van right where they parked it for the cops to find. They talk about the story they'll each tell the sheriff, making sure everything adds up to what the cops will find at the lake.

Back at the motel, the Gold's close the business for the rest of the day and wait together in the office for the sheriff and ambulance to arrive. Once they do, Neal gets his wound treated on the spot. It was a clean shot and the emergency technicians were able to treat him there. Each member of the family explain to Sheriff Graham Hubert the nightmarish ordeal they've just lived. After hearing their story and investigating the scene, Sheriff Graham has something to explain to the Gold's about their terrorists.

Sheriff Graham tell them that Tamara and Greg Mendell are religious serial murderers. They have been on the road, spreading their rein of terror and running away from the cops for ten years. They have more than a dozen murders under their belts and have turned their style of killing into a ritual. The Mendell's were true psychopath who lured their victims with their friendly demeanor and love of the Christian faith. Once they discovered anyone they've tried to build a friendship with wasn't Christian or didn't believe in God, the friendly masks they wore came off and the pure evil inside them was reviled. They never thought what they did was wrong and truly believed they were saving people and doing God's work.

Graham believes Norman (the Gold's agreed that it was best to keep Robert's existence to themselves) acted in self defense and there will not be any charges brought against him.

##  *******

Later that night after the sheriff makes his leave, Belle insists for Robert and Neal to stay in the house with her. She thinks it's best for the family to be under one roof. She doesn't want to be alone and the house is big enough for all of them.

After everyone has cleaned themselves from the blood and sweat of this frightening day, Belle and Neal are still in shock over the whole experience. Being kidnapped, held hostage and everything else that has happened to them, will stick with them for the rest of their lives. Robert notices that they're not really taking the post trauma very well and that they're having trouble settling down.

Belle won't let the baby out of her sight and she hasn't sat Baelee down ever since she was returned to her arms hours ago.

Neal has been pacing the house and watching the windows, making sure no one is after them again. He knows the Mendell's are dead, but he's still having an eerie feeling that they will return.

Robert hates seeing them so on edge, so he does what he can to comfort them and settle a restless house. He steps out of the kitchen and looks over his family, wishing he could take their uneasiness away and hoping that what he's done for them can ease their fears, even if it's just for a moment. "Belle, Neal." He stands in front of Belle at the couch and takes the baby from her arms.

Belle doesn't stop him from taking his granddaughter. He saved her baby's life today and she's never going to tell him not to touch her again. She now knows he will never hurt Baelee.

"I have something for you." He turns away and limps with the baby to the kitchen.

Neal and Belle look at each other, then follow behind Robert.

They enter the kitchen and lay eyes on a dinner table set with Belle's favorite food, cheeseburgers and fries. Belle and Neal are amazed by Robert's caring gesture. They didn't even smell him cooking.

"You did this for us?" Belle walks up to Robert, as he sits Baelee in her high chair.

"Yes, Lass." He pulls out the chair next to the baby for Belle. "I know it isn't going to do much to ease your anxiety."

"You're wrong about that." She takes her seat. "It did do something, actually, helped a lot."

Neal sits at the table across from the baby. "I'm feel better feeling too. It's strange how a small sense of normality, can help you feel safe."

Belle nod her head to agree and lightly pats her hand on the table, offering Robert the seat next to her.

Robert slowly takes the seat and shyly smiles at people around him. He's relieved to know they feel more at ease. All he wants to do is comfort his family. "I wasn't planning on eating." He wasn't even going to stay in the kitchen at all. He did this just for them, not for himself.

"I think you should. You need it just as much as we do." Belle pours him a glass of juice from the pitcher he sat on the table.

"Thank you, Belle."

They eat together and no one mentions what happened today, they don't want to ruin dinner with talk of the Mendell's. Belle makes an effort to get to know Robert and she learns a few things about him that she never thought she'd know.

Robert is a reader and likes to read out loud, this is something that takes Belle by surprise. It's a complete opposite of Norman, who doesn't like to read much, but loves to be read to. She also learns that he doesn't like television and hates cartoons, something else that's opposite to Norman. When he does watch TV he likes classic movies and old monster films, something he revealed about himself when he and Neal started talking about the movies they watched together a few days ago.

Learning these new things about Robert makes Belle wonder how someone so different can be apart of her husband. It's really like getting to know another person and she's intrigued by it. It's almost like she only knew half of whom Norman was and now she's getting to know him as a whole.

After dinner, Belle and Neal go up to their rooms for the night. Neal isn't sure if he can get any sleep naturally, so Belle offers him one of Norman's sleeping pills. Which Norman was prescribed when he first started seeing Dr. Hopper, but now he doesn't need them anymore.

Belle lays Baelee down for bed and it doesn't take long for her to fall asleep. Belle kisses the crown of her head, turns on her disco lizard nightlight and leaves the nursery to go into her room. This is the first time she's left the baby alone, now she feels a bit more safe to do so.

Meanwhile, back down stairs, Robert finishes cleaning the kitchen, then heads upstairs for a pair of Norman's pajama so he can try to get some sleep on the couch. He steps into Belle and Norman's bedroom, finding Belle sitting up in the bed, cradling her legs and crying. "Are you alright, Lass?"

She lifts her head to him, wiping away her tears. "No."

He shuffles to the bedside, thinking she probably doesn't want him sitting next to her, but he sits anyways. "Umm..." He glance at his hands, sits his cane on the floor and looks back at Belle. He isn't used to talking to her like this or comforting her, but he's going to try and hopes he doesn't make things worse like he did with Norman. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"I don't know," she whimpers.

"Alright." He picks up his cane and goes to the door.

"That's it?" She stops him from leaving. "That's all you're going to do?"

"You said you didn't know if you wanted to talk."

"I know, but you usually push back and try to make people talk."

"I don't think that's going to work, Sweetheart."

"Close the door, please."

"Alright." He steps out and starts to close the door.

"No. That's not what I meant."

"What?" He peeks his head back into the room.

She giggles. The way his head quickly popped back in was almost cartoonish. "I want the door closed, but I also want you on this side of it."

"Oh..." He shuffles back into the room, closing the door behind him. "Why do want the door closed?"

"I don't want, Bae, to hear me cry anymore. She's heard enough today."

"I understand." He takes his place back on the edge of the bed.

She crosses her legs in the bed and scoots a little closer to him. She stares at the futures on his face, likes she's never seen them before. She's looks at this face everyday for six years, but she's never seen this man behind it.

Robert is a little nervous having her so close.  

"There's something that keep replaying in my mind."

"What is it?"

"It's probably the silliest thing and with all of the serious stuff circling around in my head, this one thing keeps coming back to me."

"What is it, Sweetheart?" His eyebrow raises with his curiosity.

"The way you called yourself Pop Pop when that bitch was holding Bae."

"Oh." He's a little embarrassed about that now. "I'm sorry. That was just something I imagine, Nugget, calling me. I shouldn't have said it out loud and in that moment. It was out of place." He lowers his head.

"You don't have to apologize, Robert. I think it's cute and that might be why I keep thinking about it." A crooked grin curls upon her face and she lifts his head to her. "It's funny how when something horrible happens to you, a little thing like that can get stuck in your head."

"I think it's a way people cope with a shitty situation."

"That might be true." She takes his hand from his lap and lace her fingers with his.

Robert's heart beats faster and his temperature rise. She touching him because she wants to. This is something he has ways thought about happening, but never knew it would.

"You imagine, Bae, calling you by a nickname?"

He quickly nods.

"What other things do you imagine?"

"Umm..." He's body starts to tremble like a leaf and he licks his dry lips. It's unbelievable that she's asking him these questions. "I... Umm... I imagine a lot of things."

"Like what?"

"I imagine going to New York and seeing Neal's life there. I imagine, Nugget growing up and going to school. And I imagine you and Norman being happy. You two deserve to be..."

Belle cuts off his train of thought by suddenly kissing him on the lips. She isn't quite sure why she's kissing him, but there's just something about hearing the things he thinks about. It makes him sound so human and real.

Robert is taken aback by her warm moist kiss, but it isn't unwelcome. He places his hand upon her cheek and caresses her soft porcelain skin. He closes his eyes and parts his lips, inviting her to slip her tongue inside.

She takes him up on his offer, sliding her tongue in between his lips, tasting him deeper and breathing in his warm breath. Belle gently breaks off the kiss, sucking on his bottom lip as she pulls away with a thin thread of saliva between them. "You even taste different," she whispers, licking her lips, savoring the new flavor on them.

"I do?"

"Yes. It's the strangest thing." She softly runs her fingertips across her tingling lips.

Robert gazes into her blue eyes. They seem to be bluer tonight.

"I wonder what else is different." She rubs her hand up his thigh and slowly braces is over his package.

Robert removes her hand and jumps up from the bed. "If you're trying to reward me for what I did. You don't have to, Lass."

"That's not what I'm doing. I want you."

"No you don't. You're confused and scared and you're desperate for a distraction."

Her head falls into her hands and she starts to sob. "You're right. I am confused and scared and... And lonely." She sniffs, wiping her nose. "I'm so very lonely."

His heart breaks seeing her this way. He knows exactly why she feels so alone. "I'm sorry, Belle." He hobbles to the other side of the bed and climbs in. "Come here, Sweetheart."

She instantly crawls over to him and sits in his lap, with both of her legs hanging off of his left side. Belle buries her face in his neck and wraps her arms around his torso, feeling so safe in his arms.

"I'll make sure you're not lonely." He drapes her chestnut curls over her shoulder and rubs on her back.

"Thank you, Robert."

"You don't have to thank me, Sweetheart." He wraps the plush rose colored comforter around both of them.

"You were wrong about one thing. I really do want you."

"Your mind is unsure of what you want." He holds Belle in his lap until she cries herself to sleep and then he holds her all night to let her know she isn't alone.

Robert Gold has shown Belle that he's no longer the family monster.

##  *******

Early the next morning, Robert awakes to Belle still laying across his lap and to the gentle sensation of her hand caressing his cheek. She curiously gaze up at him, as if she's trying to mentally solve a puzzle.

"What are you doing, Lass?" He gently removes her hand from his cheek and sits up more comfortably.

"You've changed, haven't you?" she asks, curling her finger in his hair.

"What an odd question to be asked so early in the morning."

"You have changed."

"I don't know." He shrugs. "Maybe."

"You have, I can see it." She presses her lips to his cheek. "Mmm, hold me tighter, Robert," she whispers, resting her head on his shoulder, finding comfort in his warm arms.

He pulls the blanket up to her neck and tighten his arms around her. Robert enjoys just holding her this way and the feeling of her warm breath on his flesh. This is everything he's ever dreamt of.  

"I wasn't being delusional last night."

"I never said you were, Lass."

"I know you never said, but I had a feeling you were thinking it."

"You don't know what I was thinking, Sweetheart."

"That’s true." She peppers his neck with kisses.

Robert closes his eyes and sighs out heavily, as tingles from her touch flows down his spin.

"You don't know what I'm thinking either," she murmurs on his skin.

"No, not really, but like you said, I have a feeling I might know."

"So what’s your feeling telling you?"

"That you want to do something you'll regret."

She lifts her head and looks him in the eyes. "I won't regret it." She sits up and turns her body to face him, straddling her legs around him.

He involuntarily grunts when she takes her place on his lap.

She rasps her fingers through his silver streaked hair and seductively bits her bottom lip.

He breaths heavily and takes hold of her wrists, removing her hands from his hair. "You will regret it," he speaks boldly.

She snatches her wrists out of his hands and pushes his back against the headboard. "No, I won't." She slowly rolls her hips against him, feeling the bulge growing in his back dress pants. He never got a chance to change into pajamas. 

"Ah... Ah..." He silently moans and his head falls back. This is all he's wanted for the longest time, but it doesn't feel right. He plants his hands on her hips to stop them from moving. "You're not thinking clearly."

"Yes I am," she insists. "I know what I'm thinking and I know what I want." She tilts her head to the right and licks her lips. "You want it too. I can feel you between my legs,” her voice thickens with desire.

"I do want you, Lass. I've wanted you for a while now."

"Then what's stopping you?"

"I don't want you to regret it." He scoots back the brown curls resting on her shoulder and combs his fingers through her hair.

"I won't." She nips at his lips. "Fuck me, Robert. Help me forget for a moment that my life is shitty." She need to feel something else other than loneliness and fear.

"You have good things in your life. It's not just shitty."

"I know, but it just doesn't feel like it."

"They're are good things, Sweetheart." He kisses her softly, placing his hand on her shoulder and slowly pulls down the thin strap to her nightgown. "Are you sure about doing this?" he whispers upon her lips.

She nods, giving him her full permission. "I haven't had sex in so long. I'm aching for it. I'm aching for you." Her desires for him are strong and she doesn't fully understand them, but she does understand what she's doing. The choice that she making is no ones but her own. "Fuck me, Robert." She rubs her hands over his black button down shirt.

The passion inside of him fully ignites. He has given her every chance to change her mind, but she was dead set on doing this ever since last night. "Okay, Lass." He can no longer deny what they both want. "Take off your nightgown,” his brogue thickens.

"Are you doing to tell me what to do?"

"If you don't mind. I like to take a bit of control."

"No." She pulls her nightgown above her head and her breast fall out freely, then she tosses the gown to the floor. "I don't mind. Norman really doesn't tell me what to do."

"Well I’m not Norman.” He grabs her shoulders and rolls her over, pushing her down into the bed. “And I don't wanna fucking talk about him." He sits up on his  knees beside her and leans over her. With one long stroke of his tongue, he licks her belly, then between her breasts and up to her neck.

Belle giggles and squirms the entire time he licks her. His tongue is so warm and moist.

"You giggle like you've never been fucking licked before." He sits up and unbuttons his shirt.

"I have, but not really like that." She sits up to help him with his shirt.

"Thank you, Lass, but I don't need your help, so you get back where you were."

Belle likes this level of control. He’s not being as demanding as she thought, or maybe he's just going easy on her. "Alright." She nibbles on her bottom lip, as she lays back in the position he threw her in.

He takes off his shirt, stands from the bed and hobbles to the side, where she's laying on her back. "When do you think the baby will get up?"

"I don't know, probably soon."

"Then we should hurry up." He folds up his shirt and lays it over her eyes.

She has never been blindfolded before and she doesn't really know what to think of it. "What are you doing? You don't want me to see you?"

"I want you to get lost in your senses and not focus on the my face." Since he looks just like Norman, he wants her to feel that he's different.

"Okay."

"You leave that there, Lass, until I tell you to take it off.”

She nods, with a toothy grin, anticipating what's to come.

“I promise you, Belle, I won't hurt you."

She breaths deeply, as her heart starts to thump rapidly. "I believe you."

He softly places his hand down at her right foot and slowly traces his fingertips up her leg to her thigh.

Belle’s body shivers to his gentle touch. “Mmm.” Having her eyes covered has intensified her sense of touch and her skin feels more sensitive.

Robert rubs the inside of her right thigh, massaging her firmly, then he mirrors his moments on the lift with his other hand, touching both thighs at once.

"Mmm..." she hums lightly, fighting the urge to close her legs tightly. Her pussy aches and throbs with anticipation, she can't wait to feel him deep inside.  

"That's such a beautiful sound." He traces his fingertips up her body to her breast and cups one in each hand, massaging the satiny flesh. He leans into her and slips a pebbled nipple between his lips and twits the other in his fingers. He lick and sucks at her nipple and his mouth suddenly fills with a light flow of milk. Such a sweet unexpected treat.

Belle arches her back and plants her hands on the back of his head, tangling her fingers in his hair. "Ahh... Ahh..." she moans, focusing only on the intoxicating sensations jetting across her body. The only priority she has right now, is her absolute pleasure.

Robert savors the taste of milk from his lips, then he licks down her belly and stops at the hem of her panties. He takes the elastic between his teeth, pulls up the band and allows it to slip through his teeth.

"Oh!" She giggles when her panties slap against her skin and he does it once more. "Oh!" She can feel his hair brushing against her when he takes the panties into his mouth.

He suddenly stands up, takes her hand and guides it to the front of his pants. She massage his manhood, while he slips his hand into her panties, feeling her moist heat. He rubs his hand over her dark wet curls and pulls it out to smell her scent. His body shivers to the aroma. "Mmm," he hums and slides his hand back into her black and white polka dot panties. He curls his fingers in her mound of hair, teasing her just a little more.

Belle’s hand grips tightly around the hardened bulge in his pants. She needs to feel something more than just fabric. 

“Uhh..” His hips buck to her clutching grip and he pulls his hand out of her panties. “I see you’re getting restless, Lass.” 

“And I see you like to tease.” Something that he does have in common with Norman. 

“Yes I do. I’m just working up an appetite to eat all of that sweet pussy you have.” 

“Why don’t you eat it now.” She spreads her legs open, revealing her drenched panties. 

“Unfortunately, Sweetheart, I don’t think we have time for that and you want something thicker than tongue, don’t you?” 

She nods her head under the cover of his shirt

“You need to speak to answer me,” he says sternly.  

“Yes, I do want something thicker than tongue.” 

“That’s what I fucking thought.” He unbuckles his belt, pulls down the pants and his thickness springs out from it's constriction. “And you’re going to fucking get it.”

“Oh, yes, I want it.” She squeezes her breasts and tugs at her hard nipples.

He stands over her, stroking his rigid cock above her, as he gazes down upon her half naked body. "You wanna see me, Lass?"

"Yes," she speaks breathy.

"Well, you fucking can't." He quickly takes her panties and rips down the seams on the left side.

Belle’s body bounces in the soft mattress, as he handles her so roughly. She licks her lips and holds his shirt down over her eyes. She doesn't want to see him, not until he’s ready to let her.

Robert rips the other side and pulls the panties from underneath her body. He smells them and sticks the wet part into his mouth, sucking on them. It's his only chance he has to taste her luscious pussy. He knows the baby will be waking soon, so instead of eating her out until she screams, he's gonna pound her hard until she can’t speak. Robert dives into the bed, with the panties still in his mouth, and lands on top of her.

“Oh, shit!” She never expected to be bounced on.

“You liked it,” he mumbles with a mouth full of underwear and rest his hips between her legs.

She can feel his hard dick bracing the brim of her throbbing folds.

He kneads her silky breast again, as he removes his shirt from her eyes.

Belle opens her eyes to find Robert holding her panties in his mouth like a puppy. The sight brings a bright smile to her face and she snickers uncontrollably. She makes an attempt to remove them from his mouth and he growls at her.

"Grrr." He snatches them out of her hand and dangles the panties above her face.

She giggles and tries to take them out again, but they end up playing a little game of tug of war. Robert growls pulling the panties back with his teeth and Belle is laughing so hard that she's not trying to win.

He adores seeing this level of happiness on her face. He wishes he could always make her look this way.

Robert eventually let's go of the panties and Belle holds them up declaring herself the winner. She tosses them to the other side of the room and pulls him into her for a passionate kiss. He slips his tongue deep into her mouth and shares the flavor of the panties with her.

She scratches down the length of his back, but doesn't break the skin. "Fuck me," she moans and fills her hands with his bare ass.

He arches his back and clinches his cheeks to her solid grip. "I thought I was the one telling you what to do?"

"You are, but not about this."

"Mmmhmm.” He gives her a peck on the tip of her nose. “I have no problem with that." He kisses her lips firmly, stealing away her breath, as he slips his right hand down between them. He takes hold of his cock and strokes himself, before guiding it to Belle warm moist pussy. He holds the tip inside her, relishing the moment. This is what he's waited for, a chance to have sex with Belle without pretending to be Norman.

"You really do love teasing, don't you?" She's anxiously squirms, trying to get more of him inside of her. She can't take the teasing any longer.  "Getty up!" She smacks his ass.

"Oh!" He raises an eyebrow. She's getting unexpectedly feisty and he loves it. He pushes his entire length into her with one powerful thrust.

"Ah!" Her body jerks to the buck of his hips.

Robert doesn't start slow. Straight out of the gate, he’s rapidly hitting her with one strong pump after another.

"Ahhh! Ah, ah, ah," she cries each time he slams into her cunt. Belle claws her nails into his back and tightens her legs around him. "F-f-fuck!" The back of her head digs into the pillow underneath her.

Robert Gold fucks her balls deep, filling her up with every inch of him and the smack of their bodies slapping together vibrates through the room. He paces himself and slows down, kissing her tenderly on the lip, while making shallow thrusts in and out of her.

Belle rolls her hips to his more controlled rhythm, keeping him deep inside her. She moves the hair out of his face and looks into his deep chocolate eyes. She isn’t use to seeing these eyes staring back at her in a moment of heated passion, but she thinks they’re beautiful all the same. Belle is greatly enjoying Robert’s cock ramming in and out of her, but the pink jewel between her folds is itches to be touched. So she slides her hand over her breast and down between her thighs.

But Robert knows what she’s about to do and he stops her hand. He pulls it out and holds it down above her head. "You don't get to touch yourself." He licks the side of her face and sits up on his knees, holding her up against him.

Belle’s back remains on the mattress, but her ass is no longer on the bed.

He starts moving inside her again with in hand on her hip and the other rubs on her clit with its thumb. He didn’t want her to do it herself, because it's all about him keeping control. He only want her to cum when he's ready.

Her body stiffens and trembles when he touches her there. "Oh, shit." She breaths heavily with staggered breaths, wrapping her legs around him and curling her toes.

Robert closes his eyes tightly and fucks Belle with everything he has. "Say my name, Belle." He unwraps her legs from around his waist and raises them up onto his shoulders.

She wraps her legs around his neck and her arms around his back, keeping him close to her.

"Uhh... Uhh... Say my fucking name, Belle."

"Mmm... Mmm…” she heavily breaths. "Ahh, ahh." She can't speak. His name is at the tip of her tongue, but it won't come out.

"Say it, Lass!” He thrusts his cock inside her deep. “Ahh... Ahh... I'm gonna make you cum so hard when you do."

Belle closes her eyes and focuses on saying his name. "R-R-Robert!" she stutters.

Hearing her moan his name was more beautiful than he had hoped. He increases the power of the lunges against her, keeping to his promise of making her cum hard, ramming inside her juicy pussy again and again and again.

Sweat drips down Belle brow. There isn't much more she can take. Her orgasm is tingling at her core and she can feel that it's going to be big. She haven't had an orgasm from real sex in a while and she really needs to touch herself to bring it on quickly. Belle slips her hand between their bodies and he stop her from touching herself again. She’s so worked up and she can't speak real words, so she does the only thing she can think to let him know she's touching herself.

Robert smirks down at her, proud of himself for keeping her orgasm off a little longer, but she slips that smug looks right off of his face. Her small kinky act of violence was never anticipated and caught Robert completely off guard.

God, how he loves it and loses all self control the moment she smacked him.

Robert’s balls tightens between his legs, as he cums so hard and fast that the whole rush made him lightheaded. "Oh, f-f-fuck!" his voice rattles. His eyes roll back and his body quakes, as his heavy load spills inside Belle.

Belle finally gets her hand between her legs and it doesn't take long, before she's cumming strongly on Robert's twitching cock, moaning a sound she never knew she could make. Her body uncontrollably trembles, as her creamy white liquid squirts out and slides between their bodies, dripping onto the blanket.

Robert holds himself above her, savoring the feeling of her pussy pulsating around his cock. They're both sweaty and breathing heavily as the scent of hot sex fills the bedroom. Their juices mix together and slips down the inside of Belle's thighs, marking the end to their erotic morning.

"I love you so much, Belle." Robert involuntary confesses as he rolls off to the other side of the bed.

Belle's eyes widen in shock at his confession. She waits several minutes for her speech and breath to return to her, and when they do, she makes sure of what he said. "What was that? Did you just say you loved me?"

"Yes." Robert is still out of it from the roughest sex of his life.

"Shit!" Belle instantly sits up. She didn’t have time to enjoy the afterglow of her orgasm. "You can't say that." She throws herself back in the bed. "Shit!" She covers her face.

"I can't say what, Sweetheart?" He's finally coherent enough to know what's going on.

"You can't say that you love me."

"But I didn't."

"Yes you did."

He tries to remember if that's really what he said and he does. “Shit.” his heart sinks to the pit of his stomach. That speech filter that seems to always disappear when it comes to saying things about Belle, just picked one of the worst time to go. "I'm sorry, Belle."

His words brought the only fear she had about having sex with him to the light. "You were wrong in thinking that I would regret having sex with you, because I don't regret it at all and I had a lot of fun."

"I'm glad you don't regret it." He rolls over next to her, resting his head on her shoulder. "I'm happy to be wrong, because there's nothing to regret."

"I feel guilty instead."

Robert rolls back onto his back and looks up at the ceiling. "Fuck." He sits up and starts collecting his clothes. "I'm gonna go." He puts on his black button down shirt.

"Yes, I think that's best."

"Alright." He limps to the other side of the bed and picks up his cane. "I'll see you later, Sweetheart." He kisses the crown of her head and steps into his pants.

Belle sits up and takes a deep breath, sighing out, "Bye." She watches him close the door, then she bends over the side of the bed and picks up her nightgown.

Robert Gold makes it to the top of the staircase and pauses. He drops his cane and it crashes to the bottom of the stairs. He blinks hard, quickly turns around and returns to the bedroom.

He enters the room and finds Belle pulling off the sheets and blankets. "Belle?"

She looks to the doorway and the soft innocent face of her husband is gazing back at her. "Norman?" Her eyes grow wide with shock. She loves Norman and missed him dearly, but he picked one hell of a time to come back.

"Yes, D-d-dearie." He smiles shyly and glimpses down at the floor. "I'm s-s-sorry."

"Fuck."

##  ***~*~***

~48 years ago in Lochdubh, Scotland~

"Did you give a proper goodbye to the spinster sisters. They didn't have to take care of you while I've been looking for a place in America." Malcolm Gold speaks to his six year old son. The only child he has in the world. "You know how you can be a little shit."

"Y-y-yes, Papa. I've told them." Little Norman Gold timidly answers his father, as he carries his last possession, a blue and white tea cup, out to the truck.

"You should have packed that, son. You're going to break that stupid cup."

"I w-w-wanted to know where it was on the t-t-trip."

"You would still know where it was if it was fucking packed." He snatches the cup from the boy.

"I'm s-s-sorry, Papa."

Malcolm sighs heavily and opens the door for his son. "Get in the truck."

Norman climbs in and watches his father enter from the other side. "Papa, w-w-where's, Jock? You promised he could c-c-come with us."

"That pissy ass dog ran away," he lies.

"B-b-but Papa you promised," the boy cries.

"Would you shut up!" Malcolm snaps. "I looked everywhere for that goddamn mutt. The dog ran away and I'm not going to be hearing about this shit on our entire way to Storybrooke."

Norman wipes away his tears and gazes out of the window. "Yes, Papa."

Malcolm starts the truck and pulls away from the sheep farm.

Norman watches as their old farmhouse gets smaller in the distance. Just as they make their first turn on the road to the airport, Norman spots a little white dog making his way towards the truck. “Papa, th-th-there he is," he speaks excitedly with a bright smile on his face.

Malcolm stops the trunk and looks down the road, seeing the little white westie running for his life to get to the truck. He rolls his eyes, steps his foot on the gas and keeps driving.


End file.
